


maybe we stand a chance, after all

by trappedoutside124



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, F/M, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Reunions, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, sort of a happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-02
Updated: 2018-05-02
Packaged: 2019-05-01 07:47:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14515704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trappedoutside124/pseuds/trappedoutside124
Summary: IW SPOILERS---------------The world is grieving and so are the Avengers. Natasha is mourning the loss of her friends when Tony Stark and Nebula find their way back to Earth and land in Wakanda. Reunions ensue.





	maybe we stand a chance, after all

Natasha stared out the window of the palace towards the city below. Everywhere, people were dressed in black. There was no rumble of sound from the marketplace, no beeping of car horns, no laughter in the streets. Wakanda was in mourning for their king. 

The Avengers--those who were left--were in mourning too. They had lost too many to count. Clint had flown in about a day and a half after it happened. Natasha met him at the hanger, no one there to guide the plane in or even alert the palace that someone was here. When he stepped out, she knew he had been hit hard. Dark circles were under his eyes, and he was holding his baby boy in one arm, and holding on to his daughter's hand as she walked beside him. He had lost Laura and his oldest son. 

Natasha seemed to be the only one moving in the palace. She had no idea where her teammates were. Last time she saw Thor and Bruce, they were on the roof talking to the raccoon from space. Steve was in his room, still in bed. He hadn't moved much since everyone disappeared three days ago. Rhodey had flown off to New York to gather Pepper and some of Tony's technology. 

Pepper. 

Tony. 

Natasha grimaced. They still had no idea where he was. For all she knew, he could be dead. Her stomach clenched at the thought; she had known Tony for a long, long time and he wasn't one to give up easily. She had missed his wit for the last two years. He was a comforting presence to her; they were alike in more ways than one. 

They both put guards up to stop themselves from being hurt. They both didn't like to open up easily and kept themselves busy to stop from seeing the demons that would creep into their thoughts. She had known Tony for nearly ten years, and he knew almost everything about her. 

She missed her boss. No, she missed her friend. 

She thought about what he would say if he were here right now. She chuckled to herself, a sound that seemed too out of place among the somber silence. "He'd say something sarcastic, something completely inappropriate," she thought to herself with a smile. The Avengers needed their leader. The Earth needed its best defender. 

Natasha sighed and closed her eyes, willing herself not to cry. Her cold exterior had been shaken in the past couple of days and she could feel her will crumbling. She began to turn around and head back to the common area to check on Clint when something in the sky caught her eye. She leaned closer to the window, brow furrowed. Then, her breath caught in her throat. 

"Oh God," she groaned, "Not again." 

It was a small aircraft, one obviously not of this world, and it was hurdling towards Wakanda. It flew over the city and then turned, heading straight for the airport hanger. She turned and ran as fast as she could, grabbing her pistol from the table. If those space freaks wanted a round two, she would give them one hell of a fight. 

She dashed onto the hanger and slid to a halt in front of the smoking craft. It looked like hell; it didn't look like the prestigious, technological warships that Thanos and his children had come in before. Still, she wasn't ready to drop her guard. Through the haze of smoke, she saw two figures jump out of the craft. She readied herself for attack. 

The two figures came closer, one limping and being held up by the other. She squinted her eyes, trying to make out the people. Slowly, they came into focus as they walked out of the haze. One looked like a woman completely made out of parts. She was not scowling, but she wasn't smiling either. She was helping her friend walk towards them. Then, the other person came into focus. 

Nat let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding for the last two years. Staring at her was Tony Stark. He was alive. A little worse for wear, but he was alive. 

She could see the moment Tony recognized her. At first, there was confusion. And then relief. And then a smile. 

Natasha dropped her pistol and walked towards Tony. "How the hell are you alive," she said, her voice shaking. 

"Good to see you too," he replied weakly. Without hesitating, he pulled her into a hug. In the ten years she knew Tony, he had hugged her maybe three times. They weren't huggers; they were more of a wink and a nod kind of people. But this time, she held him tight. She held him as if he would slip away if she let him go too soon. 

"We missed you, boss," she whispered. His hands tightened around her. 

"I missed you too."

"Where were you? We thought you were dead," Natasha said, pulling back from him to look at his face. It was covered in scratches and bruises, and his eyes were tired. 

"Well, I went to Titan to fight Thanos with some Guardians I met in space. Peter and Doctor Strange came too," he replied. Natasha had no idea who the guardians or Doctor Strange were, but she knew they'd have time to catch up on that. Tony continued: 

"We almost had him, Nat. We had that gauntlet off. Then Peter--the Guardian, not Parker--fucked us over, and then he stabbed me and--"

"Wait. You were stabbed?" Natasha yelled, pulling back to give him the once over. 

"I'm fine now, mostly. And then Strange gave him the time stone, and then everyone disappeared. Even the kid. We're the only two left." His voice cracked when he mentioned Peter, and Natasha's heart broke a little more for him. Even though they hadn't talked in two years, she had kept tabs on him. She knew he loved that kid. Tears pricked the corner of her eyes as she saw the grief on Tony's face.

"Well, we lost Vision when Thanos took the stone from him. Wanda, Sam, T'Challa, and Bucky all disappeared. We were hit too." Natasha said, looking down. Tony pulled her back in for a hug and she could feel him sharing her grief. She let herself be held for a second, then pulled back as she realized she hadn't introduced herself to Tony's companion. This woman had survived with Tony and had helped bring him back to them. She owed her. 

She turned to the woman and looked her in the eye. "I'm Natasha," she said, her voice unwavering for the first time in days, "Thank you for bringing him home."

The woman nodded back. "I'm Nebula. We need to get your friend some food and water and medical help."

Nodding, they got on either side of Tony and helped him walk towards the palace where the rest were waiting. She could see the other Avengers crowding around the windows, gaping at Stark. She saw Steve there smiling; it was the first smile she'd seen in days. 

Things had gone to shit. They were most definitely in the lowest point of their lives. But Tony was back. Iron Man was back. 

And if Tony could survive what had happened, then maybe they all stood a chance at getting things back to normal.

**Author's Note:**

> I really felt like I needed to write a Natasha/Tony reunion because I love their friendship and think it's really underrated.


End file.
